Shag Crawford, 90, Longtime Baseball Umpire

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN

Published: July 14, 2007

Shag Crawford, a National League umpire for two decades and the head of a prominent professional sports officiating family, died Wednesday in Glen Mills, Pa., near Philadelphia. He was 90.

Crawford's death was announced by his son Jerry, a major league umpire since 1977, The Associated Press reported. Another son, Joey, has been a National Basketball Association referee since 1977.

Umpiring in the majors from 1956 to 1975, Shag Crawford worked three World Series, two National League Championship Series and three All-Star Games.

When umpiring at home plate, Crawford crouched especially close to view pitches, his hand resting on the catcher's back to keep his balance. On Aug. 22, 1965, he was in the midst of the action, trying to break up one of baseball's most frightening melees. Still wearing his mask, Crawford is shown in photographs trying to separate the San Francisco Giants' Juan Marichal and Los Angeles Dodgers catcher John Roseboro after Marichal hit Roseboro over the head with his bat. The battle erupted after Roseboro's return throw to pitcher Sandy Koufax whizzed past Marichal's ear.

Crawford's most eventful day after that came at Shea Stadium, in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series between the Mets and the Baltimore Orioles.

He ejected Earl Weaver, the Orioles' manager, in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes, the first time a manager had been thrown out of a World Series game since Chicago Cubs Manager Charlie Grimm was banished in 1935.

So Weaver was not around to protest a tumultuous 10th-inning play. With the score tied, 1-1, two runners on base and nobody out, the Mets' J. C. Martin bunted. The throw to first by Orioles pitcher Pete Richerts struck Martin on the left wrist and caromed into right field, allowing Rod Gaspar to score from second base with the winning run.

A photograph later showed that Martin was running in fair territory instead of staying inside the three-foot-wide runner's lane in foul territory as he approached first base. But neither Crawford, umpiring at home plate, nor Lou DiMuro, the umpire at first base, called Martin out for interfering with the throw, and the Orioles, being run in Weaver's absence by a coach, Billy Hunter, did not argue for interference. If Martin had been called out for interference, Gaspar would not have scored on the play.

Crawford said afterward that Martin was either touching or straddling the foul line, and therefore running legally, even though his body was essentially in fair territory. The Mets, baseball's doormats since their inception in 1962, went on to win the World Series in five games.

Henry Charles Crawford, who was born and reared in Philadelphia, umpired in the first game played at the Philadelphia Phillies' Veterans Stadium, in 1971. When the Phillies played their last game there, in September 2003, he stood with his son Jerry, the home-plate umpire, at farewell ceremonies.

Crawford took his sons to baseball games when they were youngsters, but Joey was drawn to basketball. ''If he took me to a pro basketball game, he pointed out Mendy Rudolph,'' Joey once told The Philadelphia Inquirer, referring to one of the N.B.A.'s best-known referees. ''So I just gravitated to the referees.''

Shag Crawford's nickname might have come from his sandlot days. He said he thought it came about because he wore shaggy pants or because he used to like to shag fly balls when he played baseball, Joey Crawford said.

In addition to his sons Jerry and Joey, Crawford is survived by his son Henry Jr.; a daughter, Patti Linder; a sister, Marilyn Carbone; 12 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

Doug Harvey, the longtime umpire, once recalled how Crawford was a tough figure long before umpires began to be criticized for a confrontational style.

''One night Shag Crawford turned around to dust the plate,'' Harvey told The Orange County Register. ''The catcher's name was Ron Brand. I was at second base, and Shag called him every name you could think of.''

Another umpire, Frank Pulli, regarded Crawford as a mentor.

''Young guys watch and try to learn from the older guys,'' Pulli told The Philadelphia Daily News in 1991. ''I broke in with Shag Crawford. I followed him around like a puppy dog. If he had stopped short, I'd have broken my nose.''

Photo: Shag Crawford, left, calling the Cincinnati Reds' Frank Robinson out at home plate in 1959, Crawford's fourth season as an umpire. (Photograph by Associated Press)

Correction: July 21, 2007, Saturday
Because of an editing error, an obituary last Saturday about the baseball umpire Shag Crawford misspelled the surname of a Baltimore Orioles pitcher who made a critical errant throw during the 1969 World Series. He was Pete Richert, not Richerts.